The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 544

Chapter 544

Rumble-

Se-Hoon’s steps paused, feeling the workshop shrouded in shadows trembling faintly. With an unreadable expression, he looked back from his position right at the boundary of the barrier Erika had deployed.

“…Is this really going to be okay?”

He had heard in advance that the method might be a little rough… but actually seeing it in action made him uneasy. Would her help really work? Could Terra truly pull it off with Erika?

Then again, there’s no helping it. It’s not like we have a better option.

While some may ask why he couldn’t just help like he did for Erika, the answer was simply that the situation was different. In Erika’s case, she couldn’t choose between following the path that her family had planned for her and her personal wish. Her synesthetic mindscape was conflicted, yet remained solid in its own way.

Proof of that was his Relationship with her.

In contrast, Terra hadn’t even defined herself in any shape or form. Offering clumsy help now would likely do more harm than good.

She has to fasten the first button herself.

Leaning on him from start to finish would only repeat the days when she was the Seeker’s shadow. That was why, difficult as it may be, letting her pave her own way with Erika’s guidance was the better path.

What’s done is done. I’ll just trust them.

If anything went truly wrong, surely one of the two would reach out to him. With that thought, Se-Hoon shook off his concerns and headed for another site where an experiment was underway.

Whoosh!

He entered a pure white gap nestled between layers of space—a void. Traversing it, he activated his spatial magic.

I’ve gotten pretty used to this place too.

It had once been difficult just to remain. Now that he had gained familiarity with the Whitespace, though, he could afford to look around.

…Well, I’m still nowhere near Ludwig’s level.

Unlike him, who could only partially control the Whitespace, Ludwig manipulated it as if he were casting simple spells. As he was now, even if he had used Ludwig’s power for nearly as much time as Wurgen’s, he still couldn’t dream of handling the void in the same way.

I don’t think it’s a matter of proficiency…. Hmmm, could I be misunderstanding something about the Whitespace itself?

So far, he had figured out that the Whitespace was an unseen gap between spaces, a third realm formed by the accumulation of such voids…. Se-Hoon became lost in thought, mulling over the concept while moving through the Whitespace—

Thump-

His head reeled back after smacking his face into something invisible.

“Agh.”

“To think you are spacing out so much in the Whitespace. Aren’t you being a bit careless?”

Hearing the familiar voice echoing in his ears, Se-Hoon grimaced awkwardly.

“Apologies. I had something on my mind…”

“There’s no need to apologize; just make sure you are careful from now on. You may be sturdy, but getting stuck in a spatial crevice wouldn’t be pleasant.”

“Noted.”

Done with his usual light reprimand, Ludwig glanced elsewhere.

“Are you heading in now?”

“Yes. Is it possible?”

“Wait just a bit. Everyone is still too fired up for me to open the door cleanly.”

“Can I watch?”

“That’s up to you.”

With permission granted, Se-Hoon peered into the invisible space he’d bumped into—a barrier within the void.

Swish-

Countless spaces rushed past in the blink of an eye, distorting his vision. Soon enough, though, it stabilized when a massive training hall as large as a small city, tiled in white, appeared before him. Inside, three people were relentlessly attacking a single opponent.

Boom!

A spear veiled in flame and shadows, wielded by Sung-Ha. Incantations that twisted the laws of nature, unleashed by Luize. Icy strikes pelting down toward the opponent’s vital points, created by Amir.

Thud!

Although the three didn’t explicitly coordinate their attacks, their strikes meshed flawlessly all the same, leaving the opponent with no room to breathe. Their combined assault was so perfect that even Se-Hoon thought he would’ve found it difficult to survive without taking hundreds of serious blows.

Thunk-

But the fists of the opponent, Jason, still outpaced them all.

Crash!

His punch shattered flame and darkness alike, landing square on an abdomen. Another broke through the incantations and smashed through barriers. Then a third crashed through the thick ice and grazed a jaw.

Jason’s assault dismantled every carefully coordinated attack. And he didn’t stop—blow after blow was delivered into any openings he could find.

“Agh…!”

“How is he so fast?”

“Less talking, more moving!”

Unable to land any meaningful hits, the trio found themselves on the defensive. Watching the battle that was tilting into a one-sided storm, Se-Hoon grew more and more interested.

They’re holding on better than I expected.

While the three seemed weak, unable to do any damage to a single person, anyone who knew how Jason’s power of Premotion worked would know otherwise.

With the power of Premotion being all about exploiting the slightest opening to land the first blow, most of Jason’s battles ended instantly—with his opponent either dead or incapacitated by that first strike.

Therefore, the fact the battle was continuing meant the three had successfully blocked, dodged, and survived those fatal punches.

Even the Harbingers of Destruction avoided going toe-to-toe with that guy back then. Being able to just stand on two feet against him is definitely an accomplishment.

Of the seven Perfect Ones, Jason was almost certainly the strongest in pure combat ability.

I remember how he said he didn’t fully understand what his power was truly capable of. And yet… he’s still this powerful.

If Jason ever truly awakened the full extent of his power, what would he become? Perhaps he wouldn’t be much stronger than he was right now, but with someone like Jason, even a slim chance warranted concern.

…Forget it. This isn’t something to worry about right now.

Being vigilant about future threats was fine, but he couldn’t let that destroy the trust between them. Wrapping up his thoughts there, Se-Hoon looked up just in time to hear a loud crack ring out and see the three sent flying to bring the fight to a close.

“They’re done now. Go on in.”

Creak-

Se-Hoon stepped through the section of the Whitespace that peeled open like a door.

Whoosh!

Waves of distorted heat and cold hit him immediately. Sung-Ha’s flames, Amir’s ice, and Luize’s incantations had affected the very atmosphere.

This could’ve gotten dangerous.

Had the void barrier been lifted mid-battle, the collateral damage might’ve spread across Babel—or even the entire planet. Drawing on his elemental mana, Se-Hoon stabilized the area before walking toward the three collapsed figures.

“Huff… huff…”

“Ugh…”

“Cough!”

Sprawled out on the ground, all three were just short of passing out. Sung-Ha had a fractured collarbone, Luize a broken leg, Amir a few cracked ribs… and nothing else. There was nothing more serious.

For getting hit directly by Jason, that’s surprisingly light…. Did he hold back at the end?

“I didn’t hold back,” Jason said with composure, just as Se-Hoon began wondering.

“…Really?”

“They told me to go all out, so I hit them with killing intent. And they didn’t die.”

Se-Hoon blinked in astonishment. If that were true, it meant the three had successfully distorted Jason’s fatal punches and the power of Premotion throughout the battle.

“You mean… wait. You seriously struck them without holding back?”

“They asked me to.”

“I mean, still… no, never mind. I guess that’s on them.”

They’d been warned about Jason and still requested it. Whatever their reasons, they’d brought it on themselves. With a sigh, Se-Hoon approached the closest of the trio: Sung-Ha.

Crack!

“?!”

He reset the broken bone, accelerating Sung-Ha’s blood circulation to stimulate regeneration. In a flash, Sung-Ha’s collarbone was healed.

Then he moved to Luize.

“Hold on… you… there’s Divine Magic…”

“This works better for people who don’t care if they die.”

Crunch!

“Ggh…!”

Luize convulsed once, then slumped in pain.

“…Make it quick, please,” Amir said, resigning.

“No can do. Yours is a complex fracture.”

“Wait, what do you—”

Crack- Squish!

With his ribs and innards reset, Amir passed out without even being able to groan. And thus, all three were treated, so Se-Hoon looked up.

“Can you help me move them?”

Heeding his request, Ludwig transported the trio to the medical ward.

“You treat them harsher than expected,” Jason remarked, having watched it all.

“This is me being kind. A person I know would’ve first scolded them for hours.”

Recalling how Eun-Ha had once chewed him out, Se-Hoon chuckled and turned to Jason.

“So how were they?”

“Hm…”

Jason thought for a moment, then provided his honest assessment.

“They weren’t bad. Physically capable, skilled… and more than anything, they’re specialized in ‘hunting’ their target.” Making the expression of a man who’d fought across countless war zones, Jason continued seriously. “If that had been a real battlefield, and they’d planned their attacks properly while accounting for it, I’d have been at a disadvantage.”

Se-Hoon blinked in surprise again. Not only had Jason accurately appraised their talents, he had even openly admitted his potential vulnerability.

“I see. They’ll be glad to hear that. I’ll let them know.”

“Suit yourself.”

Clearly not that interested, Jason’s response was bland. Seeing that, Se-Hoon opened his mouth to ask about the Law of—

“Wait.”

Jason spoke first.

“You’re about to ask about the Law of Repentance, aren’t you?”

“Well… yes. That was the whole point of this sparring session.”

If the trio had managed to distort the power of Premotion, it was likely because the Law of Repentance had activated. That’s why it was best to hear about it now, when the sensations were still fresh.

“Hm. Then don’t bother asking me.”

“…Sorry?”

“I didn’t trigger it; I broke it, in fact. If you ask me, it’ll just confuse things.”

“Then…”

Should he head to the medical ward and ask the others instead…? Se-Hoon instinctively stepped back, feeling a chill run down his spine.

“You’re sharp, as expected.”

“…What are you doing?”

Se-Hoon warily watched Jason clench his right fist.

“I told you—I break laws. Meaning unless you trigger the Law of Repentance, I’ll keep overwhelming you.”

Understanding, Se-Hoon stared at him incredulously.

“So… you want me to just keep getting hit until the Law activates?”

“Rather than theorizing about it, it’s better to experience it firsthand.”

“Well…”

To be honest, Jason had a point. Se-Hoon had seen the Law once before during his visit to Puppeteer. But although researching it through others was fine, firsthand experience really would be more accurate. It was just…

My condition isn’t exactly the best right now.

His status message had been corrupted. His body was changing. Without knowing how those changes affected the world, drawing conclusions from his own experience could be dangerous.

How do I explain this…

Maybe he could say he was injured during his fight with Karl? Just as he was about to spin an excuse, he heard Jason’s voice again.

“A long time ago, I got a deep cut in my stomach.”

“…What?”

“It was so bad, my guts would spill out if I moved. But I couldn’t rest either, as the enemy kept coming.”

Se-Hoon’s eyes widened.

“So I just kept fighting.”

He smeared medicine on the wound, tied it up with torn clothes, and shoved his organs back in when they spilled out. For three days and nights, he fought nonstop until he finally reached a safe zone for proper treatment.

“It was a little dangerous. But I gained a lot from it.”

“A little dangerous?”

“I learned to swing my fists even with a torn stomach. I learned to read my opponent’s breath and find the perfect timing.”

Jason made a solemn face.

“There are things you’ll never know until you clash head-on. I’m sure you’ve experienced that too.”

“…Yeah.”

“I don’t know what’s going on with your body. But it’s clear you’ve changed.”

Jason’s clenched fist tightened, and the ground subtly trembled.

“That’s especially why—you shouldn’t back down now.”

Jason was basically taunting Se-Hoon: use everything you have to just confirm for yourself what changed. However, aside from being a provocation born from personal pride, it was also a genuine piece of advice grounded in experience.

It was a side of Jason that Se-Hoon had never seen before, leaving him staring quietly.

“…You’re right.” Se-Hoon smirked. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Even if he couldn’t yet accept his interpretation of the Law of Repentance, checking it firsthand wouldn’t hurt.

Clenching his own fist and squaring his stance, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but ask, “If that’s the reason, though, can’t we fight later?”

He could just go ask the trio first and then fight? To that, Jason had a calm answer ready.

“You know what the biggest lesson was from that stomach wound?”

“What—”

Before he could finish, Jason was already in his face.

“The enemy never waits for you.”

Crash!

***

Inside the Heroes Association branch in New York, Gregory pored over a stack of reports while constantly sighing.

“This… this isn’t easy.”

Although the chaos seemed to have subsided since the Prayer Operation, the reality was far from calm. Because the death of the Pilgrim caused the Pilgrimage Church to fracture, opportunistic forces were scrambling to grab whatever influence they could from the fallout.

In the past, the Association could’ve handled it under its name. Right, in the past.

The lack of Perfect Ones…

Of the six who once kept the heroes in check, now only two remained. And even then, there was no guarantee they would survive. In fact, more and more people were treating their deaths as inevitabilities—before they even occurred.

Are they being arrogant, trusting too much in the Blessings? Or just clinging to Lee Se-Hoon with hope?

Either way, the trend was dangerous. Currently, the only reason peace even remained was thanks to the Blessing of the Eternal’s revival conditions and the Blessing of the Sacred Lantern’s mental stabilization. Without them, countless conflicts would have erupted already.

Have people started thinking more about the future?

That meant people were gaining hope… which was a good thing in theory. Still, Gregory didn’t like it.

You could say they’re getting complacent… hahhh.

If the Demon Force struck now, even empowered humanity would take heavy losses. Going over the risks once more, Gregory turned to another set of documents: a report on the Planetary Reinforcement Plan.

I guess all we can do is pray that this plan succeeds quickly.

If the plan succeeded, humanity would gain the strength to shape its future with its hands. And at that point, it would no longer be a dream.

Still… Gregory stared at the papers, his expression complex.

Knock, knock.

“Director, may I come in?”

He instantly noted the chief secretary’s urgent tone.

“You may.”

Slam-

Bursting in the moment permission was granted, the aid stood before Gregory as he rose from his seat.

“What is it?”

“Terrorist attacks are erupting simultaneously across the globe. Initial reports suggest Puppeteer’s automatons.”

Gregory scowled. He’d been warned by Se-Hoon about Puppeteer just days ago, but he hadn’t expected movement so soon.

She must’ve judged that delays would only hurt her.

If so, what came next could be far worse.

“Convene the council immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

Following his aide, who rushed out, Gregory stepped through the door.

Splurt!

A gleaming white blade pierced through his abdomen.